MLK Day Celebrations

Created to honor the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., MLK Day is celebrated on the 3rd Monday in January (this year it is January 20th). The spirit of the day is best described by his widow Coretta Scott King:

On this holiday, we commemorate the universal, unconditional love, forgiveness and nonviolence that empowered his revolutionary spirit.

You can read her full remarks HERE. Join in the celebration with one of the many family-friendly events happening in Nashville.

Sunday January 19, 2020 @ 7 PM – Get tickets here – The orchestra and special guests will perform a mix of spirituals, popular songs, and classical music honoring the triumphs of the civil rights movement. Tickets will be available to the public at 10 AM on January 9th, 2020.

The MLK Day and March is celebrating 31 years in 2020. It is one of the oldest Martin Luther King Day commemorative marches in the country. There are events starting on Thursday, January 15th and you can get all the details HERE.

Saturday January 18, 2020, 9 AM – Youth Summit – During this interactive workshop participants will learn about the process for registering to vote in Nashville. We will discuss voter suppression and how it can affect your vote in 2020. Participants in this workshop will have a hands-on, on-site demonstration of the new voting machine, an opportunity to learn more about the elected positions that will be on the ballot in 2020, and important voting dates in March, August and November 2020. On site voter registration will also be available.

Monday January 20, 2020 – Jefferson Street Baptist Church (Map) – Attend a Youth Rally at 8:30 AM followed by a March to TSU at 10:15 AM, followed by a Convocation at 11:15 AM at TSU Gentry Center (Map). Learn more HERE.

Events begin with an MLK Breakfast celebration on January 17, 2020 and continue through January 24th. This annual program was established in 1997 and all the events are open to the public. See the full schedule HERE.

Volunteer with Belmont, Fisk, and other area universities for the MLK Joint Day of Service on Saturday January 18, 2020 from 10 AM – 4:30 PM at Tennessee State University.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020 – 6 – 8 PM – The MLK Dinner on Jan. 21 at 6 p.m. will focus on progress. A specially selected panel of millennial speakers representing technology, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship and health care will visit our campus to help us celebrate the occasion. They will reflect on their professions, challenges, visions and dreams for the future of our nation and the significant roles they have in it as they prepare to inherit it. Click here to register and purchase tickets.

Learn more about Nashville’s Role in the Civil Rights Movement

Nashville’s downtown library is home to the Civil Rights room and collection. There is a lunch counter where you can sit and read about the protests during the sit-ins carried out by brave African Americans in the 1960s. Photographs line the room highlighting desegregation and Nashville’s role in the Civil Rights Movement.

About the Author: Lauren Breeze

Lauren is a transplant from Texas and has become a local tourist exploring the area with her two children. She loves to discover new places in Nashville to share with others.